


误会, Misunderstandings

by Rei_Rei (anti60ne)



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: M/M, Romantic Comedy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-09
Updated: 2013-09-09
Packaged: 2017-12-26 02:28:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,580
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/960507
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anti60ne/pseuds/Rei_Rei
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>in which the China-line is (almost) stuck in perpetuating misunderstandings.</p>
            </blockquote>





	误会, Misunderstandings

**pairing:** Tao/Kris, Luhan/Lay  
 **genre:** fluff  
 **rating:** PG-13  
 **word count:** 2493  
 **prompt (supplied by Laura):** Luhan wakes up in middle of the night and goes to the kitchen for water only to find Tao trying to make ramen and crying.  
 **summary:** in which the China-line is (almost) stuck in perpetuating misunderstandings.  
Laura-betaed.  
  


Luhan flutters open his eyes, his head muddied and throat parched. Thirst pulls him upward and rolls him out of bed, bare feet thudding on the chilled tiles quietly. His eyes drift to the clock by the front of his bed, squinting; the digits flash 2:34AM. With a low groan, he peels his sluggish body off the bed and pads out the room. In a haze, Luhan's feet drag him toward the kitchen, the path ingrained into his system. It's only when light hits his half-mast eyes does he realize that someone is in the kitchen.

"Tao?" Luhan rubs his eyes, his voice hoarse. "What are you doing up?"

Luhan forces his eyes open and slides up to Tao when no reply is offered. He notices Tao sniffling, and a kettle cooking on the stove. Luhan frowns and looks at Tao, whose eyes are cast downward. Luhan follows his gaze and spots a bowl of ramen with the lid peeled halfway sitting on the countertop. He hears another sniffle.

"Uh, what's wrong?"

His thirst is forgotten as alarm creeps into his mind. For Tao to be crying over ramen means code red. Especially in the middle of the night.

Tao shakes his head lightly. He wipes his eyes with the back of his hand. The kettle whistles and Tao shuts the stove off. Luhan watches him pour the hot water into the bowl.

"Is it Kris?"

70% of the time, Tao's tears can be attributed to Kris directly or indirectly, especially when food is involved. Luhan muses why ramen, but mentally shrugs it off; it's probably the only comfort food available for instant access when you're supposed to be asleep just like everyone else.

There's no answer from Tao. He picks up a pair of chopsticks and begins stirring the noodles absentmindedly. He hasn't raised his head or turned his eyes to Luhan once.

Luhan waits, head cocked to the side and fingers strumming lethargically on the edge of the countertop.

"He said I shouldn't have hugged him in Beijing."

Luhan blinks, his mind still hasn't fully rebooted. Then he remembers; the Asia Idol Awards. Luhan doesn't need another clue to figure out what their argument was about; Kris is extremely right-wing when it comes to PDA, while Tao is an avid proponent for it and conveniently oblivious to the possible repercussions of a full-on display. What Tao did back in Beijing was a tad audacious and borderline foolish, Luhan admits. Luhan can get away with it, usually, only because he hugs everybody, but not Tao. Fan-taken pictures that have quickly circulated on the Internet since obviously did not escape Kris's attention, which is telling considering Kris is seldom concerned with the effects of their so-called fanservice. Luhan mulls over a few possible words of consolation that he could offer, but ultimately fail to voice any, as it most likely would not have done any good.

"You know how he is," Luhan attempts finally, voice small and tentative. "He'll get over it soon enough."

It was the best gesture of solace Luhan could come up with, but Tao seems unconvinced. The ramen is done moments ago, but remains untouched.

"Hey, it'll be okay."

Luhan hasn't really thought it through before he steers Tao around and wraps his arms around the much taller boy. Tao does an imperceptible double take, but receives the hug readily, murmuring a "thank you" into Luhan's disheveled hair. Luhan's scent--that of soap and a tinge of vanilla, probably from Yixing's lotion--is strangely comforting at this moment. Tao mindlessly strokes Luhan's head as he pulls Luhan in a little tighter, relishing in the warmth that Kris has denied him hours earlier.

All this falls into the heavy eyes of Kris, stood frozen in the dark around the corner off the kitchen, a lump of betrayal hinged inside his chest, threatening to rip him apart.

He whips around and stalks back into his room.

\--

Luhan lets out a yelp when Kris walks right into him, almost knocking him over completely.

"Sorry."

Luhan glares after the towering back. He knows Kris did it intentionally, that he has been purposely bumping into his shoulders, knocking things out of his hands, stealing his unofficially reserved seat at the dining table. It's childish and outright passive-aggressive, these coping mechanisms of Kris's, and Luhan knows Kris is holding a grudge against him, he just doesn't know why.

But Luhan is determined to find out. So he formulates a plan during dinner, ignoring Yixing who pesters him about being unusually quiet, and sets out to implement it before Kris retires to bed.

Kris is lounging lazily in bed with a paperback propped on his stomach when the door gives a knock. He opens his mouth with an intended _"Go away I'm sleeping"_ when Luhan slides inside uninvited and closes the door behind him. Kris narrows his eyes when he sees Luhan lock the door.

"What do you want." Kris mutters in Mandarin, redirecting his gaze to the book. The how-mad-is-Kris meter in Luhan's head ticks up a few more notches; when Kris speaks in Mandarin with a tone that can slice through steel, shit has hit the fan and rendered it malfunctioned. Luhan, however, is not even remotely intimidated, given that he is rather peeved himself to begin with.

"What is your problem?"

Kris raises his eyes, cold, and levels with Luhan's livid gaze. He shuts his eyes tight and rolls his jaw, rage building up and spreading over him as he gets on his feet.

"Are you seriously asking me that?"

"Yes, because as far as I know, I haven't done you any wrong."

Kris stares at Luhan in disbelief.

"...You are unbelievable, Luhan." Kris scoffs and shakes his head before running a hand through his hair in frustration. "You know what, fuck you."

Luhan is stunned. Misguided resentment overtakes him and he lunges at Kris, snatching the taller one by his collar and shoving him against the wall, quaking the nearby objects into a cacophony.

"Wu Yifan, you'd better tell me what the fuck is your problem with me before I put a dent in your face," Luhan growls. Knocks on the door trickle into his ears and easily get drowned out by the blood roaring in his ears.

"Kris-ge," a voice rings outside the door amidst repeating knocks. "Is everything okay in there?"

They are both too riled up in their own misunderstanding to pay it any attention. Kris inhales deeply.

"Tao," the name escapes along with his breath. It dawns on Luhan, and he almost snorts upon the ludicrosity of Kris's misconception.

"Are you stupid or something?"

Kris stares, brows furrowed in confusion and subsiding anger.

"Huh?"

"There's nothing between me and Tao. You know that."

"Then what was with that hug."

"What hug?"

Kris opens his mouth, but closes it. His pride doesn't quite allow him to admit that he had been watching them surreptitiously, but Luhan quickly connects the dots.

"Ohhh, you mean the other night in the kitchen?"

Kris says nothing and keeps his gaze on his toes. Luhan takes that as a yes. He chuckles and shakes his head slowly.

"Wow, you really are an idiot."

"And you really need to stop saying that before I throw you out of my room, literally."

"I--"

They are again interrupted by a series of urgent knocks. Kris glances at Luhan, who shrugs. Kris sighs and opens the door.

"Oh, Yixing. What's up?"

Yixing parts his mouth, but words are stuck behind his tongue when he spots Luhan in the back, looking like a deer caught in headlights.

"Nothing," Yixing murmurs before slinking away noiselessly. Kris frowns, slightly baffled, while Luhan senses an ominous feeling pooling in the pit of his stomach.

\--

"Yixing has been avoiding me. Something's wrong. I just know it."

Luhan pops a chip into his mouth as he muses aloud to Kris, who yawns ungracefully while shooting the mini-hoop. It's a lazy afternoon and they've respectively settled into inflatable lounge chairs. Kris tosses an unconcerned glance over at Luhan.

"Tao has been avoiding me, too," Kris mumbles as the ball shoots from his hand. He misses the basket entirely.

Luhan rolls his eyes.

"That's because you're dumb and you still refuse to believe me," _or you're just too stubborn to admit that you're wrong all this time_ , Luhan adds silently as he chucks a chip at Kris's head. It gets lodged in between his hair. Kris groans and shakes his head furiously; instead of falling out, the chip readily disintegrates into crumbs.

"He was stroking your hair!"

"You saw that?" Luhan gasps, eyes widened in mock-horror. "Are you a voyeur or something?"

Kris deadpans as he swears inwardly and mentally kicks himself in the shin. Luhan flings another chip at Kris's hair.

"You little shit...." Kris pushes off the chair and leaps at Luhan, who shrinks into his seat and pulls his legs up as Kris jabs into his sides, quickly reducing Luhan to fits of giggles and whimpers and screams.

"We're back~!"

Baekhyun's voice pipes up at the door and Kris finally stops, leaving Luhan with labored breaths and flushed cheeks. Luhan doesn't notice a quiet figure rooted near the door when Sehun drops a bag of snacks on his lap.

Out of the corner of his eyes, Kris catches Yixing gazing at him, an unfathomable shade in his eyes. Yixing quickly averts his eyes and walks past the group converged around the kitchen. Kris watches him retreat into his room, shutting the door quietly behind him.

Kris suddenly realizes why Luhan has been calling him stupid, and a voice in the back of his mind nags, _Maybe I really am stupid._

\--

Plopped on his stomach in bed, Yixing snaps out of his reverie when knocks come through the door.

"Who is it?" He asks cautiously and wishes it isn't Luhan, or Kris.

"It's me, Kris."

"Oh." Yixing's heart sinks, but he has slightly more emotional capacity to face Kris right now compared with Luhan. "Come in."

Kris's head pops in before he steps in quietly. He backs into the door and closes it, shifting his feet about awkwardly with skittish eyes, as if he's not sure whether he's in the right room. Yixing sits up and watches with perplexed amusement.

"Uhm..." Yixing begins. "Do you need something?"

"Alright, look," Kris approaches Yixing, voice strained by apparent anxiety. He perches on the edge of Yixing's bed. "I know what you're thinking, about me and Luhan, but it's not what you think. I swear."

Yixing frowns and says nothing, playing at the frayed hems of his sweatshirt. He hasn't expected Kris, of all people, to volunteer an explanation about something that he isn't even entirely sure. Yixing had hoped it was just his paranoia, that he was reading too much into things, but he still couldn't help distancing himself from Luhan. And things just got more awkward from there.

"Luhan was helping me with Tao, basically," Kris continues, amazed at himself for remembering his rehearsed one-liner.

"With Tao? Why?"

Kris hesitates to explain, and the brief silence between them is pierced by knocks on the door. Yixing is about to voice a _"Hold on a sec"_ when the door pops open.

"Oh." Tao's face emerges in the gap, large eyes blinking. He quickly turns his gaze when he sees Kris. "Sorry, I didn't know--"

"No, wait." The words rush past Kris's lips before his mind could filter them. "I'm done with misunderstandings." He ignores the rising churns of his stomach and lounges forward, pulling Tao into the room when his eyes land on a surprised Luhan, who was apparently standing behind Tao. "Well, then, you're coming in, too." Kris nudges Tao inside as he grabs Luhan by the arm.

The door shuts and the room finds four people gulping their speculations, quickly stifled by the unnamed elephant in the room.

"Well." Luhan starts, but immediately goes quiet. He sort of has an idea, but it's just something nebulous looming over his head, uncontainable by words.

"Yes, well." Kris follows suit as he settles on the edge of a desk. "Let me just get this straight," he looks to Luhan. "First, I apparently misunderstood Luhan," (who mutters, "You _did_ , stupid, not apparently" which is promptly ignored) "because I saw--I mean, something happened with Tao." Tao is more than baffled. His mouth parts to introduce a question that Kris will surely regret if answered, so he continues without a beat. "Then Yixing here," his eyes shift to another confused face, "misunderstood me with Luhan, who was trying to help me with Tao," (Luhan nods smugly in approval) "but really just being useless," (Luhan glowers, eyes narrowing into irked slits) "and just now, Tao was about to misunderstand Yixing because of me. Or the other way around."

Kris avoids Tao's eyes while Luhan looks anywhere but at Yixing.

"That was really dumb," Yixing mumbles, and Tao murmurs _No shit._

"You started it," Luhan jabs a finger in the air toward Kris, who huffs and crosses his arms.

"Well, I."

"You what?" Luhan retorts in exaggerated impatience, eyebrows raised. Kris is about to protest when Yixing speaks.

"Okay, enough, both of you." Yixing raises his arms in irritated surrender. He gets up from the bed and shoves Kris toward the door. "I think this is where you get out of my room, thank you very much."

Kris looks down at Yixing, puzzled and unbudging. Yixing sighs.

"Tao, a little help, please."

Tao stares at Yixing blankly for a few seconds before it clicks in his head. "Oh. Right." He takes Kris by the arm, who flinches slightly upon the unforeseen touch, and drags him out of the room. Yixing backs up against the closing door, his hand reaching behind and turning the lock. He fixes his eyes on Luhan, who is looking ever more apologetic and cowering in a corner of Yixing's bed.

"Now..." Yixing inches closer to the bed and crawls toward an uncertain Luhan. "Let's hear your explanation while I decide your punishment."

"I was just trying to help!" Luhan whines, dropping on his side and rolling on the bed. "I saw Tao crying the other night and I just gave him a hug. Random acts of kindness are supposed to be rewarding, not misunderstanding." He sulks as he buries his face in Yixing's pillow, finding the faint coconut scent from Yixing's shampoo slightly consoling.

Yixing nods in understanding. He toys with his lips in thought.

"Well..." Yixing moves closer and straddles Luhan's back. Before Luhan could protest, Yixing palms Luhan's waist on both sides and slides his hands upward, taking the hems of the shirt with his fingers. "I think I've settled on your punishment."

_I guess it could be rewarding, after all,_ Luhan muses as his shirt is pulled over his head.

 

A/N: a China-line fic! lol i didn't plan for it to end up with the China-line but it kinda evolved as such. halfway through i briefly considered writing a chinese version of this but maybe some other day when i'm not tired and/or lazy.  



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